This project’s purpose is to determine if there is sufficient need to formulate a proposal for further UN/CEFACT activities to develop a recommendation or a standard regarding public procurement.

International standards in support of public procurement can be envisaged to bring enhanced opportunities for trade around the world, particularly through greater efficiencies and by means of opening of new markets through lowering the cost of entry for small and medium enterprises.

Increasingly public procurement appears as an important area of interest in supply chain aspects of trade facilitation and electronic business. Drivers of this greater attention follow from legislation, governmental and market developments and multilateral agreements. Moreover, various related standards initiatives at the national, regional and international levels have been emerging.

Background research is needed to confirm that a recommendation or standard developed by UN/CEFACT at this time would be helpful in providing guidance to member States and other stakeholders on using international standards in support of public procurement.

Given the diversity of standards activities relating to the field of public procurement, the need for a coherent overview appears warranted, before formulating a proposal for further UN/CEFACT developments in this area.

Central themes may include pre-award and post-award requirements, business processes, end-to-end business term vocabulary, semantic interoperability, technology-neutrality and Single Window.
Special challenges may also be included with respect to requirements set by major Procurement entities such as Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the UN Procurement Division.

The project deliverable is a Background Paper.

The research may or may not provide sufficient background material to propose a project for development of a recommendation or standard by UN/CEFACT.

The key elements which will be conducted in this study project include:
• information gathering;
• try to identify issues which indicate the compelling importance of guidance in the use of
recommendations and standards in public procurement;
• research of existing literature and texts on the subject with the aim of understanding whether that UN/CEFACT developments could bring added value.

Background Paper:
• Completion of research
• Research materials brought together in a Background Paper
• Background Paper transmitted to Bureau for information and eventual developments

Membership is open to experts with broad knowledge in the area of trade facilitation and electronic business, in particular with respect to public procurement. Experts are expected to contribute to the work based solely on their expertise and to comply with the UN/CEFACT Code of Conduct.

Not required as recommendation or standard not being developed.

The geographic focus is global.

• UN/CEFACT recommendations, standards and project information relating to electronic procurement
• WTO agreements on government procurement and trade facilitation
• EU legislation/directives on public procurement
• CEN Workshop deliverables, including those from “Business Inter-operarable Interfaces for public procurement in Europe” and other workshops
• Materials on national, regional and global issues involving public procurement
• Materials available from the international standards community, MDBs and the UN Procurement Division

Participants in the project shall provide resources for their own participation. The existence and functioning of the project shall not require any resources from the UNECE Secretariat.

Project Leader: André Hoddevik [ [email protected]]
Editors: Edmund Gray [ [email protected]]

Note to user: Each UN/CEFACT project proposal must specify the name and email address of at least one proposed Project Convener and at least one proposed Editor.